Every successful individual that I know or have worked with has gone through life with intention and a clear sense of purpose. I have also come across those individuals that say they don’t know what their intention or purpose is. I tell these people that often the reason individuals don’t know their intention or purpose is because they simply haven’t spent enough time listening to themselves, carefully and in silence. I often get that look like “What????”

Deep Listening is a practice of stopping and listening without judgment or advice. All you have to do is sit down, rest your mind and ask yourself in silence: What do I really want? What is my life for? And if you go deep enough, intention will emerge. I would definitely call this a form of meditation. In fact I would say it is a must for success, no matter what you want to do.

With Deep Listening, you have an opportunity to honestly evaluate yourself. When you’re reflecting on a habit or an action, such as something you perceive as an obstacle or something you think you’ve accomplished, take the time to ask yourself, “ Am I being deceived or is this really happening the way it seems to me?” This helps us on our path to Bliss because when you listen to yourself, you put yourself in a better position to listen to others.

When we listen deeply, we can observe and investigate a habit or action without being identified with it and without pushing it away or pulling it in. This puts us in a position to be able to observe and then ask ourselves “What would happen if this is true?”

Deep Listening is not just for the mind and spirit; it’s also perfect for the body. This is something that I like to emphasize. The body is always talking to us and many of us fail to listen to the whispers of our body. Here is what I suggest that you do: stop and listen to your body, surrender to being with what is. Ask yourself: “What is my body trying to tell me? What should I be paying attention to here? Have I been overdoing it? Have I been going too hard or too long?”

Your body is like a broadcasting station. Learn to listen and to trust that still, small voice inside, the voice of self- knowing, and the voice that will never lead you astray. You may slow down for a little while but in the long run it will keep you healthier and active.

As you learn to practice deep listening to yourself and your body, you will find that you’re listening skills get fine-tuned and allows you to listen to others better. When you are able to listen to yourself without judgment, you are able to listen to others without judgment and really hear what that person is trying to say to you. This my friends, is a true key to success in life.

Did you know that almost a fifth of the people presenting to the emergency department go there for headache pain and for women between the ages of 18 to 44, I jumps to a third of the visits. Wow when I read this it was mind boggling to me. You see severe headaches and migraines can leave you in agony, but even mild headaches can be painful enough to negatively affect your life. And stress, hormones and life can play a major part in bringing a headache on.

Instead of focusing on the headache pain and causes, I am going to focus on natural treatments for your headache pain.

The first remedy that I would like to talk about is the Boswellia tree. This ancient tree contains a resin that has potent anti-inflammatory properties. This tree resin has been included in studies treating people with cluster headaches, which occurred over the course of weeks, month, or even years. Cluster headaches are so intense that they have often been called the “suicide headaches.” The wonderful thing is that the Boswellia tree resin has been shown to provide long –lasting pain relief and has also been shown to decrease the intensity and frequency of these headaches.

Next there’s Butterbur. This is a perennial shrub and has been used to treat pain relief and headache prevention. This beauty has been shown to prevent migraine headaches, in clinical research studies. Butterbur taken twice per day has been shown to decrease the frequency of migraine headaches. Please note that some Butterbur contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which may cause liver damage, so be careful when selecting your supplement to ensure you get a supplement that’s free of these harmful compounds.

Lastly, I want to share this goody for decreasing headache pain and you are going to flip when you find out. Ready? Well it is the good old vitamin B complex. B vitamins have become a popular treatment for the reduction or the severity of migraines and headaches. B vitamins contain riboflavin that has been deemed effective for the prevention of migraines. In addition vitamin B-6 has been shown to decrease headaches associates with the menstrual cycle. Vitamin B-6 may even help decrease headaches associated with oral contraceptives.

All of these are available as supplements at your natural health stores. It is always suggested that you check with your healthcare provider for the correct dosage to take for you.

When autumn arrives we definitely know that change is in the air. Leaves began to turn colors and fall off the trees. The air feels crisp and dry and in Ayurveda, we say Vata dosha tends to increase, which may lead to imbalances. This is likely to remain until February, when changes occur once again.

You may have noticed that you are prone to go out of balance in the fall; its restless, sweeping qualities can disrupt your physiology and psychology. Occasional constipation, dry skin, irregular appetite, difficulty sleeping, stress and fatigue, to name a few can cause you to feel out-of-sync. The predominance of the elements, especially the wind can cause all of these problems and more. The season of fall can bring with it great excitement for change but can also be quite overwhelming to us all with the advent of the holiday season. I would like to offer you some suggestions to help you transition into the fall season without too much disruption to your normal flow of life.

With fall being the onset of dry and cold days and nights, the first tip I would like for you to consider is a diet that is warming, nourishing and comforting to the body and soul.

Following you will find other ways to help keep you balanced and well during this season.

6 Ways to Maintain Balance This Fall

First and foremost, you must regulate your mealtimes. Have lunch between 12 and 2 p.m., and dinner early in the evening. Don’t skip or neglect breakfast. This simple schedule will regulate your metabolism and hunger cycles, generate healthy agni (digestive fire), and help reduce the accumulation of toxins. I recommend herbal formulas for my clients that assist with toning the digestive tract, promotes healthy elimination and increases assimilation of all nutrients.

Start by going to bed early – ideally by 10 p.m. Get in the habit regardless of the hours you have been keeping. Your body will thank you in the morning.

It is important to pay attention to your diet. If you experience a lot of gas or air digestive challenges then opt for warm, unctuous foods cooked with healthy oils and spices.

Eating leftovers, raw foods, or processed and canned foods will create an imbalance. Fall foods should include hot soups, as well as freshly cooked and lightly spiced split-mung Dahl. In the morning, have a warm stewed apple, or cream of wheat cereal or oatmeal with warm almond milk. For midday meals, try sautéing vegetables in ghee and warming spices. Get wholesome nutrition with whole wheat bread or chapatti. If you’re hungry between meals, snack on almonds, dates or fresh fruit. Warm a cup of almond milk, flavored with a little cardamom, cinnamon or nutmeg or a warm cup of almond milk with a bit of ginger and a touch of honey (be sure the milk is lukewarm before adding honey) or even a little nutmeg before bedtime will enhance the quality of your slumber.

Because the fall season is drying, skin that is neglected in this season tends to wrinkle and age faster. Give your body a daily massage with Organic Sesame Oil and support facial skin with the lipids and healing properties found in vitamin C and the B-complex will help to stop the aging process. With the rich body of the natural organic products and the usage of healing herbs and vitamins you will be able to pamper your skin and keep it soft and subtle during the fall and the winter.

Imbalances in the fall can cause an increase in restlessness, anxious feelings and day-to-day mental stress. Making time for light yoga exercises, a brisk walk in nature and meditation will help combat those stresses. To calm the mind and emotions, connect with nature by taking short walks outdoors, weather permitting and find time to be quiet for a few minutes each day. If you can try to meditate for 15-30 minutes each day that’s great however if you can only get 5 minutes in that is perfect too. By doing these vitality enhancing things you will not only support your natural resistance to emotional stress and fatigue but you will be aiding your body to increase its immunity.

In our modern world, being in a stressful state is often regarded as normal or even laudable as a sign of hard work. The reality is that when you’re under stress, no matter how well you handle it, eventually you will begin to see the affects on your physical, mental and spiritual health.

Fight or Flight

When our bodies are in a stressful state, they release endorphins, the fight or flight stress hormone, as well as adrenaline, epinephrine and norepinephrine. When you’re in a constant state of stress, the hormones and steroids that should only operate when you’re truly in a fight of flight situation are constantly being released into your body.

When this happens, the weakest part of your body will be affected first. You may begin to develop high blood pressure or have kidney issues. You may suffer like I did (https://ayurvedahealing.org/2014/01/13/ayurveda-honor…ndividual-body) from digestive challenges or have problems in the mind, such as intense anger, depression or extreme anxiety that begin to affect the way you treat others.

When all these things are going on constantly, the body shifts into a frantic and panicked state.

How to Tell if You’re Under Stress

It’s not unusual for someone under prolonged stress to get so used to it that she or he begins to think that’s just how life goes. They may not realize something is off until another person points it out to them, or they’re suddenly dealing with a crisis that forces them to change their ways. So how can you tell if you’re living with the kind of stress that will affect your health?

Pay attention to the signs. Physically, people under tremendous stress being to experience chest pains or more frequent migraines. Rapid weight loss or weight gain is also common, depending on how the person is dealing with stress.

Another sure sign of stress is the state of your relationships. When you’re stressed, you interact with your friends, co-workers and loved ones differently. For instance, when I am under a lot of stress, I become short-tempered and have a sharp tongue. I don’t care what I say or if I’ve hurt your feelings, and I become vindictive. That’s not normal for me, and when I act like that it pushes people away and it’s a clear sign that something is out of balance.

What You Can Do Today

If you’re feeling a lot of stress, or if you recognize any of the symptoms above as your own, there are several things you can do right now to replace stress hormones with feel-good hormones, and they’re all very easy!

Take a walk in nature. Let yourself be pulled away from the everyday stresses at work and with your family.

If you can’t do that, turn on some music you like – blast it! If you’re driving and you feel yourself getting angry, turn on some nice music on the radio and just chill, relax.

Spend time with uplifting friends. Even just sitting down for a 40-minute cup of coffee with someone you like can make a great difference in your stress levels.

Stress is definitely very present in our 21st century lives, but it is also manageable and doesn’t have to make you miserable. Have you tried any of these simple tricks to relieve stress? Share your experience in the comments below.

One of my favorite things to do is to meditate. It is so calming and nurturing to my mind, body and soul. It is one of my favorite ways to restore my energy, clarity and focus. I often receive some amazing information when I meditate especially when I reach the point where everything is quiet and still within. It wasn’t always like this, I remember when I first began to meditate my mind would chatter non-stop. I felt like it was going 100 miles per minute. There were times that I would get so wrapped up in the mind chatter that at the end of my mediation session I wasn’t sure if I received any benefits. However later I discover that even though it may have appeared that I was not benefitting through the times of non-stop mind chatter, I was actually benefitting beyond my belief.

Study after study has shown the tremendous benefits that mediation has on the mind and the body. Neuroscience can show us what happens in the brain when we meditate. For instance areas of the brain associated with stress slows down and parts of the brain associated with feeling joy, peace and compassion become active. The evidence that meditation triggers positive changes within the brain and the body is overwhelming whether we are meditating with mind chatter or not.

For the beginner meditator who is not aware of the positive changes occurring within the brain and the body, the mind chatter may be just enough to frustrate them to the point where they feel like they want to quit. If you fit into this category, don’t fret because I want to understand that you are not alone and there are some things that you can do to assist you with the mind chatter.

One of the things you can do is just let the mind chatter. Don’t get wrapped up in the chatter just let the thoughts come and go. Let the thoughts come in and let them roll out similar to watching the waves of the ocean roll in to the shore and roll back out the ocean. Just let them be without focusing on what they are and why they exist. When you practice meditation regularly, you will begin to notice that part of the mind that is untouched by thoughts. You might experience that deeper layer of consciousness as a pure sense of being or as a sense of being a witness. Sometimes it feels as if you have plunged into the deeper water of the mind, where it is calm while all the time the mental chatter continues. In other words the mind can keep thinking but you are not affected by those thoughts.

Another tool that you can use is your breath. It is a wonderful way to assist you with not getting too wrapped up and focused on the thoughts that are flowing into your mind.

As a matter of fact, each time you feel that you are beginning to focus on the chatter within your mind shift your focus to taking in a deep breath and letting it out. The breathing helps to distract you from the mind chatter while allowing your body to take in much need oxygen and release the toxic carbon dioxide. Mindful breathing is a form of pranayama and is so yummy to use during the mediation process.

The last suggestion that I have to offer to you is to simply let yourself keep coming back to the sensations of the breath in the body, or the felt sense of energy in the heart or the vibratory quality of a mantra. A mantra is something that you repeat throughout your meditation session such as the word, “Om” or “Peace.” By doing these things in time you will notice the thoughts drift more and more into the background while the underlying sense of being comes more into the foreground and what a wonderful feeling that is.